St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
31/7/24

Today's gospel 
Mathew 13 v44 to 46

In this powerful reading, JESUS is the true treasure. He is the abundance of all that is rich and useful.

The gospel is the field in which this treasure is hidden. So he/us that finds this treasure hides it...a holy jealousy to stop satan from separating us from it.
The pearl of great price is JESUS. He is a priceless jewel, a man/woman may buy gold  but not this pearl of great price with money. We can only do it with our pure heart and mind.

Let us pray 

Father God, You have made us for Yourself. We want to feel  Your love more deeply today so that You can be our treasure. Thank you for the gift of a new day. Thank you for Your love.
We know that You love us.

AMEN

St Barnabas Anglican parish- Bluff 
30.07.2024
Today's Gospel 
Mathew 12:36-43

Whenever we try to use worldy influence or power to get Gods work done we end up doing more damage to his kingdom. 
The parable warns us that now is not the time to be persuming to know final outcomes or forget that Gods infinite mercy.
Jesus calls to be patient, tolerant to each other and allow God to work in our lives .
Allow God to uproot the weeds 

Let us pray

Lord Jesus forgive us our sins and save us from fire. Merciful God we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed by what we have done and we left undone. You calls us to follow you to announce the Good news 

We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord 
 
​Amen

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
29.07.24
Today's gospel. 
Matthew 13:31-35

Transformative Power of a tiny seed.

This text is about the parable of the mustard seed, which stands for small beginning and Mighty Ending. 

Here, the tiny seed becomes a large tree that signifies the growth of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Yeast of the Kingdom also starts as a small amount of yeast but affects the whole dough. 

Jesus speaks in parables to teach us the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom of Heaven transforms lives.
The mystery of growth is God's work. Humans labour in the field, but God does the rest in terms of expansion of the Kingdom. 

Let us pray. 

Gracious Lord,  grant us that faith, that has 
the potential for growth and impact in small things.

Give us transformative power,  and teach us to be patient. May we trust in Your works, and patiently nurture the small beginnings in our lives, knowing that God can do mighty things in and through us.

Amen.

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish,  Bluff 
27.07. 24
Matthew 13:24-30

Reflection

This parable has always ministered to me in an eye opening way. This relates to choice, The choice to believe or not believe. To live among the weeds can be a negative or a positive thing. If we take the opportunity to  believe and to witness the Gospel, it’s a positive choice, but if not, then it becomes a negative choice with consequences.

Today’s prayer is that we would understand that God leaves the weeds until his time comes. God wants not one to be lost but all to be saved. Take the opportunity to believe the gospel, to witness and Be Blessed.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Prayer

Merciful God, you plant each of us like seeds in the same field and together we are nourished and nurtured by the sun. We sway in the wind and are refreshed by the rain. We are blessed by the knowledge that you want us to grow towards what you call us to be.

​Amen.

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
26/7/24
Today's gospel 
Mathew 13 v18 to 23

In this reading Jesus explains to his disciples the meaning of the sower parable.
The first soil is hard and from the start totally fails to produce good fruit or in another context fails to recieve the Word of God.

The second is like a heart that is afraid and loses it's joy over the immediate suffering it encounters.

So, my question is, how do we become good souls?
By understanding, embracing and retaining the WORD.

Let us pray.

Father God, help us to see and understand the bigger picture to become good soil.
Help us to regularly read Your Word, to hear it being taught, to spend time in worship through songs and prayer,  we pray.

Amen

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
25.07.24
Gospel Reading 
Matthew 13:10-17

Reflection
The events of Jesus' ministry seem to go over the heads of some of their bystanders. They do not believe. His words seem to pass them by. So he will tell them stories and hope they will see behind the words to the meaning of those stories. Parables will highlight some of the truths of life and of God, and people who may miss the obvious will get the message. Every story Jesus tells will throw some light on God, the world and the self. These questions can be a good starting point to praying the parables.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to have a listening ear and to hear all that You have to say to me. Give me a teachable spirit, and may I grow in grace and in a knowledge of You. Help me to trust Your Word implicitly, for Your Word is truth. In Jesus' name I pray,
AMEN.

St. Barnabas Anglican Parish, Bluff. 
24/7/24
Today's gospel 
Mathew 13:1- 9

This famous parable is one of Jesus' spiritual teachings.
It is all about different types of soils/people and not the Sower.
So, the seed of the gospel is not ineffective, BUT if it's planted in the wrong soil the consequences can be painful and even deadly. So, my question today is what type of soul are we?????

Let us pray 

Father God may your words take ROOT in our hearts and grow into fruitful maturity. Show us how to take mature responsibility in Your Word.
We pray.

Amen